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Genes be crazy (thelemmy.club)
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[-] cybervseas@lemmy.world 187 points 3 months ago

I'm tired of microblog screenshots that self-censor 😕

Also that's cool. I'm pretty sure I cannot smell ants. But it's also possible there are ants everywhere I go, so I can't discern what part of the background smells are the ants.

[-] Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world 20 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

I was watching "deep dives" on Youtube yesterday and was getting confused by all the censoring. Even the word "sex" was censored, and like... what? Not just SA (which I understand censoring), but sex itself? In a video ostensibly designed for an adult (or at least teenage) audience?

It's hard to follow a story when words get censored that you don't expect to get censored. In my mind I think something much worse is being said, and have to pause and rewind to ensure I understood correctly. The best part is, the creator wasn't even from the US, land of the Puritans. I expect Europeans not to be afraid of sex, but I guess this is what Youtube is doing to the world?

[-] XeroxCool@lemmy.world 15 points 3 months ago

That degree of censorship usually implies the content is dual posted to TikTok in my experience

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[-] Lemminary@lemmy.world 118 points 3 months ago

Whatever, keep your ant-smelling superpower, I'm not jealous. At least cilantro doesn't taste like soap to me! :P

[-] kautau@lemmy.world 25 points 3 months ago

We need a study on if that’s the divide. If you can smell ants you also think cilantro tastes like soap

[-] lengau@midwest.social 36 points 3 months ago

Cilantro: tastes like soap

Can smell ants: no

Sorry, I'm a counterpoint. I got the worst of both.

[-] kautau@lemmy.world 24 points 3 months ago

But do ants taste like soap or cilantro

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[-] Whats_your_reasoning@lemmy.world 15 points 3 months ago

I'm with you. Can't smell ants, but cilantro is soapy.

There are lots of little genetic quirks out there. I experience Arnold's Reflex, that is, I cough when I stick a cotton swab in my left ear canal. (Only my left. My right doesn't react.) There's also the Photic Sneeze Reflex, which is where you sneeze when looking at light. I don't have that, but around 35% of the population does.

I'm sure there are countless more little things like this that people just haven't talked about/gathered enough data on yet.

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[-] Monument@lemmy.sdf.org 13 points 3 months ago

I can’t smell ants, and cilantro tastes soapy. However, I do have dry earwax and my armpits don’t smell. (Which is just spurious information to your hypothesis.)

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[-] ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 3 months ago

Can smell ants, love cilantro, can't smell stinkbugs.

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[-] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 68 points 3 months ago

I had no idea it was a genetic thing that not everyone has. It's pretty awesome that after fifty years slogging through life, I still run across cool new shit like this

[-] Crazyslinkz@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months ago

Your part of the ten thousand...

https://xkcd.com/1053/

[-] bitwolf@sh.itjust.works 59 points 3 months ago

That's the most useless censoring of the word "Fuck" I have ever seen 😅

[-] bleistift2@sopuli.xyz 30 points 3 months ago
[-] mysticalone@lemmy.world 14 points 3 months ago

Why did you censor a small mushroom?

[-] Jankatarch@lemmy.world 22 points 3 months ago

That mushroom is average-sized my good sir.

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[-] FinjaminPoach@lemmy.world 52 points 3 months ago

Wow that's really weird because i thought ants were supposed to be everywhere - at least in summertime when you go outside. If they smell that bad then it must be unbearable just walking around places in the city.

[-] starik@lemmy.zip 32 points 3 months ago

I can only smell them if I sniff a crushed one up close. It’s been a long time - I don’t step on bugs on purpose.

[-] ada@piefed.blahaj.zone 30 points 3 months ago

I don't think they're talking about the dead/distressed ant smell. To the best of my knowledge, everyone can smell that. They're talking about a general smell of ants

[-] LeapSecond@lemmy.zip 28 points 3 months ago

Wait, everyone can smell dead ants? Pretty sure I can't

[-] em2@lemmy.ml 12 points 3 months ago

They smell like paint thinner

[-] edwardbear@lemmy.world 11 points 3 months ago

they smell funky, a bit like a salty battery doused with acid, if it makes sense?

[-] VoteNixon2016@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 3 months ago

I can't smell them, but I can hear them

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[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 36 points 3 months ago
[-] southsamurai@sh.itjust.works 15 points 3 months ago

Has to be, it's got that same "bite" that other acids have, only a little more earthy

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[-] jaybone@lemmy.zip 32 points 3 months ago

I think I can hear ants. People probably think I’m crazy. Like if you bend down and get your face really close to their trail. It’s like a buzzing sound. Like static on an old TV. Creepy as fuck.

[-] 9blb@feddit.org 19 points 3 months ago

Could it just be the reflections of ambient noise you also get when you hold your ear close to any surface? The old "If you hold a seashell to your ear, you can hear the ocean" kind of thing.

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[-] ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world 29 points 3 months ago

STOP FUCKING POSTING CENSORED SHIT

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[-] childOfMagenta@jlai.lu 25 points 3 months ago

Are we talking formic acid from crushed ants or just there is an ant around and they can smell it?

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[-] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 22 points 3 months ago

It smells so weird and strong. I'm surprised not everyone can smell this. I wonder how common this is?

[-] BlueEther@no.lastname.nz 14 points 3 months ago

Now I need to know what I'm missing out on... I know the smell of formic acid, and can smell it if andts are really pissed off - but do they just smell?

[-] LibertyLizard@slrpnk.net 17 points 3 months ago

I usually only smell it after they are agitated. I assume that's what they meant? But usually when I'm smelling ants they are agitated.

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[-] Digestive_Biscuit@feddit.uk 21 points 3 months ago

I never knew about this. Is this the same gene which makes people like/dislike bitter foods?

Years ago at a place I worked at, food manufacturers, the R&D team did a taste workshop. 5 cups of flavours, salt, bitter, water, umami, sweet. The bitter one just tasted of water to me. They called it "bitter blind"

[-] SaharaMaleikuhm@feddit.org 38 points 3 months ago

Probably makes you easier to poison. I will keep that in mind.

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[-] sad_detective_man@sopuli.xyz 17 points 3 months ago

Is this like how some people can smell if a dude jorked it that day?

[-] radiouser@crazypeople.online 17 points 3 months ago

no wonder why people avoid me.

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[-] sun_is_ra@sh.itjust.works 14 points 3 months ago

some ants when attacked do produce a small (probably by spraying chemicals that is supposed to paralyses/repel other small insects). that I can smell but I can't smell an ant peacefully walking around.

[-] tamal3@lemmy.world 13 points 3 months ago

Does everyone agree that ladybugs smell terrible??!

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[-] LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world 12 points 3 months ago

Some people can smell ants. Some people can smell Parkinson's disease.

I don't think I can smell either of those but I can smell B.O.

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this post was submitted on 09 Feb 2026
789 points (95.8% liked)

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